In the ultra-competitive world of college admissions, most families believe that perfect grades and sky-high test scores are the golden ticket. But what if that’s only part of the story?
Frank Song, the founder of Zenith Prep Academy, would argue that it’s not just about what you do—it’s about how you tell your story, how you grow as a person, and how you make an impact beyond yourself. And for over 15 years, that philosophy has helped hundreds of students gain admission to top-tier universities like Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and UPenn—not by gaming the system, but by becoming exactly the kind of people elite schools are hungry to admit.
From Wall Street to the Classroom
Frank Song didn’t start out in education. After graduating from Stanford University, he began his career in finance, working in private equity and investment banking. On paper, it was a dream life: fast-paced deals, high pay, prestige. But behind the scenes, he noticed something strange whenever he spoke with high school students—especially those from high-achieving families.
“They were incredibly bright,” he says. “But so many of them had no real direction. They had APs, clubs, and test prep tutors, but no idea how to connect it all. No sense of purpose.”
It wasn’t that they lacked ambition. What they lacked was strategy.
In 2007, Frank decided to leave Wall Street and do something few in his position would consider: he started working one-on-one with students, helping them find their voice, their strengths, and a path to real-world impact. That was the birth of Zenith Prep Academy, a small project that would grow into one of the most respected college prep academies in the U.S.
More Than Just Test Prep
At first glance, Zenith might seem like just another college consulting service. But spend even 10 minutes talking to a family who’s gone through the program, and you’ll realize it’s something entirely different.
At Zenith, the work begins years before college applications are due. Students as early as 6th or 7th grade join the program—not just to boost their GPAs or ace the SAT, but to figure out who they are, what they care about, and how they can contribute to the world in a meaningful way.
The process is deeply personalized. Every student gets a roadmap that fits them—not some template downloaded off Reddit or a generic timeline. A student who’s into artificial intelligence might get matched with a mentor from Google or an MIT research lab. A student passionate about community service might be guided through founding their own nonprofit and applying for grants. A budding writer might spend a year publishing op-eds and essays to national platforms.
“It’s not about making kids look good on paper,” Frank says. “It’s about helping them become actually exceptional, in a way that’s authentic to them.”
The Power of Story
If there’s one thing Frank Song is passionate about, it’s storytelling. Not in the fictional sense, but in the personal sense—the story each student tells through their actions, achievements, and choices.
“Colleges aren’t just looking for robots with 1600 SATs,” he says. “They’re looking for humans. Humans with grit, with heart, with a reason they do what they do.”
That’s why Zenith emphasizes leadership, initiative, and impact. Students learn to pitch ideas, build teams, navigate setbacks, and present their work to real audiences. They’re taught how to write college essays that don’t just say, “I worked hard” but that bring admissions officers into their world.
One student, for example, wrote about how helping her grandmother with early-onset dementia inspired her to create a memory-care toolkit for bilingual families. Another launched a startup that used AI to detect plagiarism in developing countries. These aren’t canned stories—they’re real, deeply personal, and often life-changing.
Mentorship That Matters
A major part of Zenith’s success lies in its team. Mentors aren’t just tutors—they’re engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, medical professionals, and former admissions officers from places like Stanford, Yale, and Harvard.
“They’re not just teaching skills,” Frank says. “They’re modeling a mindset.”
That mindset? Curiosity. Initiative. And the belief that young people—when given the right tools—can do truly incredible things.
Students meet weekly or biweekly with their mentors, not just to check boxes, but to push boundaries. It’s not uncommon for a Zenith student to be doing college-level research at 16 or speaking at national conferences before their senior year.
Success That Speaks for Itself
Zenith students have been accepted into the world’s top colleges—not because they had perfect résumés, but because they had cohesive, compelling stories built on years of thoughtful effort.
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96% of Zenith students were accepted into at least one of their top three college choices.
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Over 80% were accepted into top 25 U.S. universities.
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And countless alumni have gone on to become founders, researchers, and leaders in their respective fields.
Frank is quick to point out: “Our goal isn’t just to get them into college. It’s to help them become the kind of people who thrive after college—people who lead, who innovate, and who know themselves deeply.”
A Culture of Excellence and Empathy
What sets Zenith apart isn’t just the strategy—it’s the culture. There’s a warmth, a humanity, that runs through everything. Families often stay in touch long after college acceptances come in. Students come back to mentor younger cohorts. The staff genuinely celebrates each student’s growth, not just their acceptances.
“We’re in the business of transformation,” Frank says. “It’s incredibly personal. Every student has a story, and we treat that story with care.”
Looking Ahead
In 2024, Zenith Prep Academy was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America—a rare honor for an education firm. But Frank doesn’t dwell on accolades.
He’s more interested in what’s next: scaling the program to reach more students, developing tech platforms to support deeper mentorship, and continuing to challenge the broken “college checklist” culture that so many families are trapped in.
“We’ve seen what happens when you give a young person the space to grow on their own terms,” he says. “It’s magic. And we want more students to experience that.”
Final Thoughts: Beyond the Ivy League
Frank Song doesn’t believe in chasing prestige for its own sake. He’s helped students get into every Ivy League school—but for him, the real win is when a student discovers who they are and builds a future that aligns with their values.
“College is just the beginning,” he says. “If we’ve done our job right, students leave Zenith not only with an acceptance letter—but with a sense of confidence, purpose, and the skills to lead a meaningful life.”